Sunday, April 20, 2014

Africa Mercy - How Our Reputation Spreads: One Nurse's Journey

A parting post from Marilyn in Africa on the Africa Mercy! She wanted to share one more story before she leaves.

---Sharon

(This is a running email post written by a volunteer nurse serving on the Africa Mercy, a hospital ship that travels the African coast).How Our Reputation Spreads

17 April 2014

I thought I was done writing for now, but I'd like to
share a story I heard yesterday from one of our day crew. Jean Paul was walking in the marketplace,
minding his own business, when a man called his name and proceeded to offer
profuse thanks. Jean Paul didn't
recognize the fellow, but the man sure remembered Jean Paul, and others on the
eye team, by name.

"I heard Mercy Ships was coming, so I took my blind
mother to the main screening. They
turned her away, said that they couldn't help.
But I heard they were screening again at St. Pierre, so I took her
there. The crowd was so large that they
cut off the screening two people ahead of me, and she didn't get seen. I found out when the next St. Pierre
screening was, and determined to spend the night waiting in line. I gave my nephew money for a taxi to bring
Mother in the morning. Sure enough, they
saw my mother and gave her an appointment for the clinic, and then for surgery."

We had to wait for the surgery day, of course, but the
day came and she had surgery. The next
day, when they removed the eye patch, she could see! I took her home, and she saw her 15-year-old
granddaughter for the first time in ten years.
She knew her by voice, of course, but not by sight. "Oh, you've grown up!" she exclaimed. All the neighbors heard her rejoicing and
came to hear the story, and now they all want their blind family members to
have surgery, too."

Why did we turn her away at main screening? Who knows?
We processed thousands of people that day (not all for eyes, of
course). It was long, hot, and
grueling...I expect we didn't do the job perfectly. Or maybe we suspected that the cataract was
not the whole explanation for her blindness and that she wouldn't get a good
result from surgery. But aren't you impressed
with the man's perseverance? I'm so glad he kept trying, and glad that she got
such a good result.

Our reputation penetrates the city through stories such
as this. I expect that next time we
come, we'll find many more people eager to come to us for surgery.

Thanks, Hilary. I have wondered (few comment) if her posts would inspire others to serve overseas. I hope your god-daughter can click on the Africa Mercy label in my archive. Marilyn has written 33 posts to date!!